Conspicuous consumption: i.e. Using very expensive materials and very time-consuming methods to show that an item is sacred or important.
The term “Conspicuous consumption” refers to consumers who buy expensive items to display wealth and income rather than to cover the real needs of the consumer.
A flashy consumer uses such behavior to maintain or gain higher social status. Most classes have a flashy consumer affect and influence over other classes, seeking to emulate the behavior.
Conspicuous displays of consumption and leisure were the means to demonstrate somebodys superiority. Whether you were rich or poor everyone attempts to impress others and seek to gain advantage through “conspicuous consumption” and the ability to engage in “conspicuous leisure”.
Here of some of everyday life examples of “Conspicuous consumption”
Fashion designer clothes are not a necessity; they serve the purpose to show that the person who wears them affords them and has a certain social status.
Diamonds or jewellery in the broader sense and so are high-end watches.
Luxurious cars like Rolls Royce, Bentley, Ferrari etc.
Silverware is another example of conspicuous consumption. There is no added benefit of eating with a silver spoon. (Taking care of the silverware is time consuming too as it requires regular polishing) What is the point really?
The fact that silverware is used mainly when guests arrive shows that they are an item, whose main purpose is to show others the status of the owner. I definitely could argue that fashion designer clothes may be a need in some cases or that luxurious cars have some functions that other regular cars don’t. But… they are still not a necessity!
Conspicuous consumption not only occurs with Items/Products but in typography and lettering. Calligraphy is a prime lettering style to be discussed as it is sometimes written with great Detail, there were many ways in which calligraphy could be enhanced by adding decoration. The words themselves could be written in gold, or in colours other than black. The letters and words could also be outlined or could lie against a background pattern.
Calligraphy has a sole purpose to communicate a message but now i see it being use for decoration/ to enhance a particular item. An example of this is someone i follow on instagram na7tdesigns. There is no purpose for these designs or lettering other than status.
However, conspicuous consumption hasn’t just happened its always been around even back in the ninth – tenth century. The Qur’an is an example of this
Unlike paper that is made from rags and fibers in the Islamic world, this page was created from animal skin! Known as “parchment,” this long-lasting material took a long time to prepare. A parchment-maker would first remove all the hairs and clean and dried the animal skin. The next step would be to stretch out the skin before preparing it for writing.
For a books with lots of pages, one would have needed the skins of many animals, often a whole herd of sheep, as many as five hundred or six hundred. Such requirements meant that manuscripts on parchment were very expensive. Not surprisingly, only the most important texts were written on animal skin, and only the richest people were able to afford them. Again there was no severe purpose to write on animal skin its more of a status.
A typeface is the collective name of a family of related fonts (such as Times New Roman), while fonts refer to the weights, widths, and styles that constitute a typeface (such as Times New Roman Regular, Italic, Bold, etc.). Not all typefaces consist of multiple fonts however, Most people use the terms “font” and “typeface” interchangeably, (i used too but ill stick with typeface) and there is actually no difference between them i think most 90’s kids and non-designers will say font having been brought up on windows…ugh!!! In most instances when people refer to fonts, they really mean typefaces. The confusion is due to the prominence of digital fonts and naming conventions in operating systems, which refer to fonts rather than typefaces. Even type foundries tend to refer to themselves as font foundries rather than type foundries. As such there is a conflation of terms, where people think fonts are really digital typefaces, whereas typefaces that are physical is actually called hand lettering or lettering and the artist or designer would be referred to as a Lettering artist. Instead, the naming convention is the same for physical and digital typefaces; fonts refer to weights, widths and styles, and typefaces are the collective names of sets of related fonts.
Here are the naming conventions of fonts:
Weights: Hairline, Thin, Ultra Light, Extra Light, Light, Book, Regular/Roman, Medium, Semibold, Bold, Extra Bold, Ultra Bold, Black, Ultra Black.
Styles: Roman, Italic, Cursive, Oblique (a slanted roman), Small Caps (usually included as an OpenType feature rather than a digital font), Petite Caps (rare), Upright Italic (rare), Swash (usually an OpenType feature rather than a font).
What is absolutely fantastic about this video is Zapf’s demonstration of lettering the numeral four is a great example of pen angle and how it changes the way the strokes, and hence, the letters look. Another thing that is facinating to watch is how he is getting more form and elegance out of a piece of chalk than most of us can hope to get out of a pen! The letters look like what we finally see in the Zapfino typeface. I find it amazing how many aspects of what is completely taken for granted, was in the beginning; something more than an art in terms of detail and beauty.
Impact on today
You can still see two of his best-known typefaces on lots of designs – Palatino is used in the Abercrombie & Fitch logo and Optima graces Estee Lauder packaging – while Zapfino led the way in bringing calligraphic scripts into the digital era. But it’s Zapf’s Dingbats that may have had the biggest impact on modern communication, as this collection of scissors and stars, squares and pointing hands, formed the basis for Unicode’s symbols, which in turn paved the way for the now… the bloody emoji!
Zapfs dingbats has inspired me to create and extended typeface to my original idea using sets of ornaments to coincide with two typefaces.
It seems that understanding the fundamental principles and concepts of typography is the first step to being a successful typographer. The most basic component of typography is the letter, and each letter of the alphabet is distinguished by its unique shape, or letterform. So after reading several books I’ve decided to familiarise myself with the terminology of letterforms.
Taken form the book Getting it right with type – Victoria Squire.Taken form the book Getting it right with type – Victoria Squire.
Baseline – The baseline is an imaginary line on which the capital and lowercase letters sit on.
Median – (otherwise known as the Mean line) is another imaginary horizontal line that marks the top edges of the lower case letters. You go wrong if you go by the literal definition of the term “mean line” because it actually doesn’t imply the central line between the base line and the cap height.
Cap Height – The cap height is another imaginary line wherein the heights of all the capital letters are marked in a typeface. Bare in mind that the cap height is below the maximum height of the typeface.
Cross bar – The Crossbar is a stroke that connects 2 lines in capital letterforms of “A” and “H”. Again a cross stroke implies a horizontal stroke that does not connect two lines for example the lower case of “f” or “t”.
X-height –The space that exists in the vertical direction for the lowercase “x” in any typeface is known as X-Height. It is the distance the baseline and mean line of the body of characters in lowercase form. The X-Height is very important in the context of font shapes as the fonts with greater X-heights are easier to read.
Bowl – It is nothing but the rounded curve that covers the negative space in a letter form. Consider for example, it can be easily viewed in the following letters “I”, “e”, “D”, “o”and “g”.
Ascender – It is an extension that goes above the meanline and is generally found in some lowercase letters. These letters are, “b”, “d”, “f”, “h”, “k”, “l” and “t”.
Descender – The Descender happens to be the bottom part of the lowercase letter (like “g”, “j”, “p”, “q”, “y” etc) that usually goes below the baseline of a typeface. Some other features that particularly extend below this baseline comprise of the old style numerals typefaces. These specific numerals were basically thought to mix appropriately with the lowercase roman numbers.
Counter – Counter refers to the negative space within a letter, particularly if you consider letters like “A”, “o” and “P” etc where the counter is fully enclosed. In letters like “G”, “u” and“c” the non enclosed negative space is reflected and they are also called counters.
Stem – The main vertical or diagonal stroke depicted in a letterform is known as Stem. They consists of the vertical parts of the letters like “I” and “H” and also simultaneously all the strokes in the letter “W”.
Tittle – Tittle is defined as the dot above the lowercase “j” and “i”.
Terminal – Terminal is the culmination point of the stroke or stem that has no serif.
Leg – Legs are the lower angled strokes which you can see in the letters “K”, “R” and “Q”. They are also known as tails.
Ligature – This addition of two characters to create another character is called ligature. They are commonly seen in serif faces .It is present to give space between certain characters and give the characters an aesthetic imprint.
Drawing Grid for letterforms. Organising what specific characters I will be drawing (Parameters)
Gird for each individual letter
Why have i used this grid?
Ive decided to use a (single custom) grid for each letterform because they help define the rules, they bring clarity and order to my typeface which makes it easier for me to keep every letter consistent with a structural harmony throughout the design.
Parameters
Using this grid i have considered the typeface parameters/proportions using the centre square as the basic width of the character in relation to its height. This is a crucial element for me because it will have a massive impact on my typeface final look. Because this is a display font (although i want it to work as a body text typeface as well) i have considered the extreme ligature proportions with the second square. I am going to make this font still balanced with such things as weight of characters to an extent because i want the typeface to remain legible.
The typeface will have different stroke widths throughout but will remain consistent also it will only be one standard weight of this typeface because of time constraints. The ascenders and descenders length is important to create rhythm when using for body text this is why i will be keeping my ascenders and descenders short so the reader doesn’t loose focus.
With this typeface being victorian i have decided to use serifs all with a 1mm median to create a solid a sturdy font although it will curve directly from the median to the height so its not as much slab serif its more of a sharp serif to create elegance and refined letters.
The first stage to my Typography process is sketching out the letters because its quicker for getting your initial ideas down also its good practice to sketch anything first because it is a great way to communicate with clients. Sketching allows me to share an idea and talk it through at a purer, more conceptual level without getting bogged down in the detail or specifics inherent with a computer generated image.
This sketching process allows me to freestyle a complex design out of midair without hashing out the details. This is why sketching will remain an important step in the design and development of this process.
Using a vintage font can make a logo or package design look elegant and serious. Or bold, yet nostalgic and intricate. this is exactly how I want to bring a classic touch to the modern world. With Victorian Lettering growing more as a trend, Business owners are jumping on the band wagon simply mining the past in order to give their work Barbers, Coffee shops, a sense of time travel. But now I think people are escaping pastiche and are doing some very interesting and modern work albeit in a style that is well worn. Perhaps using it as a way to create a more artisanal vibe. I think there is room in the market for a Victorian typeface as its often perceived as ‘over the top’ it’s quite intricate and detailed with filigree, type on arcs, drop shadows, etc, hence why it’s always done by hand.
New Vintage Type – classic fonts for the digital age. Steven Heller and Gail Anderson 2007
This book is what I can only describe as designer porn, it shows how the art of lettering is evolving and how contemporary designers are still using the past for inspiration. (Perfect for me) apart from the title it was the cover that inspired me to actually pick this book up because it had beautiful ornaments and patterns that just drew me to it.
Hersheys Chocolate
In my Introduction to this blog post I stated that Victorian lettering is “nostalgic and intricate. this is exactly how I want to bring a classic touch to the modern world.” In the Pomp and ornament section of this book I found an example of how Hersheys designer Elizabeth Marrow Mckenzie has taken materials from Hersheys archive, including labels and advertisements and created a nostalgic collection of labels and packaging to bring the whole victorian era back as it is now a trend globally.
OldNew
DECORA.
Theres something that’s just mesmorising about these letters to me. The Spanish style ornaments or the ornamental face is adapted in such a way that it echoes through past stylists eras while finding a place in the present to become a more modern typeface, For my typeface added ornaments could be a possibility.
The new Grilling book
For my exhibition I would like to display my font using the full ornament package to create something similar to this although this is a cigar brand it reminds me of the retro pubs around the UK. Like this piece I could create a more modernised brand use a die cut sign to display the font?
Typography is the mechanical arrangement and organisation of written words in such a way as to facilitate communication of the content.
The term ‘type’ traditionally refers to metal type, the physical object, where letterforms are handset printed. (In printing and typography, hot metal typesetting also called mechanical typesetting, hot lead typesetting, hot metal, and hot type is a technology for typesetting text in letterpress printing. This method injects molten type metal into a mould that has the shape of one or more glyphs). However, the scope typography has expanded on account of the development of digital technology, the use of personal computers and the growth of the internet.
Letterpress, metal typesetting.
Typography can be divided into two areas: 1. The concept/ idea, the arrangement and the design as a whole. Consideration should be given to the choice of output (printed or screen based) format, typeface, colour, stock and composition. The term macro typography has become widely accepted for this activity. 2. The space between the letters, between the words and lines – the details of typesetting is called micro typography.
The difference between macro and microtypography
Macro typography is responsible for the adaptation of the typeface in the general layout of the web design it is the arrangement of paragraphs, depending on the elements, such as images or colour layout. Macro typography includes, amongst other things, the margins – the distances between individual text containers – and the contrast of the font.
Micro typography takes care of the detail in the typeface. All factors that affect the font itself fall into this category. For example, the font selection and font size are microtypographic elements.
Both typography elements together form the typeface. This has a significant effect on the readability of a website. It is very important for the web design of the page. Poor readability puts an enormous strain on the eyes. The reader will feel uncomfortable and leave the website. Therefore, the primary focus should always be on the readability – aesthetics come second.
Legibility and readability are two terms often used synonymously, however legibility refers to the ability to distinguish one letterform from another via the physical characteristics that are inherent in the design of a particular typeface, such as x-height, character shapes, counter size, stroke contrast and type weight.
The legibility of a piece of body text is enforced by the use of a standard point sizes, sensitive leading and appropriate alignment. Absolute clarity of information combined with a minimum of interfering factors creates legible type. Readability concerns the properties of a piece of type or design that affect the ability to understand it.
Hand lettering and type play very different roles in graphic design. The simple geometrey and even textures of type ensure legibility in any context. But these qualities limit the visual impact of unmanipulated type. Hand lettering, by contrast, achieves maximum visual impact by altering the simple geometry and even textures of type. Legibility is ensured by the context and by the unique identity of handmade letters. Referring back to my dissertation a quote/design from David Carson himself sums it up.
David Carson
“Don’t confuse legibility with communication. Just because something is legible doesn’t mean it communicates and, more importantly, doesn’t mean it communicates the right thing.”
Carson is very much interested (like myself) in the emotion behind a particular piece of design and the message that is communicated to the viewer before they read the words or graphics of a particular piece. In his TED talk presentation he explains and shows the meaning behind emotion in typography.
(Skip to 19:20 for Garage doors)
Although they have no real design consideration they visually represent what Carson is talking about perfectly. They are the same kind of garage door and contain identical colours and words, yet they communicate to the viewer very differently. The garage door on the left seems meek and lacks authority in comparison to the commanding type of the door on the right with it’s large type size, boldness and the three underlines.
“If the goal when working with type is to make it more readable, then heeding established legibility guidelines is of utmost importance. Departure from these “rules” should be attempted only after a designer is totally familiarised with them, and when content lends itself to expressive interpretation. Legibility represents those visible attributes in typography that make type readable.” (RobCarter.Working with text type book)
Although i want to create a (Victorian) display typeface i would like it to work as a working typeface (OTF File) in doing so i already have basic knowledge for type design and using type i decided to familiarise myself with all the rules so i don’t create problems further down the line of this process however, my typeface will consist of ligatures, visual quirks, stylistic affectiations and irregularities among character which will make the typeface less legible. I am going to create the typeface minus the Frills, but how legible will it be for a standard typeface? DUM DUM DUMMMMMM.
The Rules…
Type size, Line Length, and line spacing.
The text that flows naturally when read is achieved when a harmonious relationship exists between type size, line length and the spaces between lines of type (Leading). Even well disguised typefaces can suffer from legibility impairment when just one of these aspects is out of balance. An adjustment to one of these factors usually requires an adjustment to one more or all of them. Continuous text type that is too large or too small will easily tire the reader.
Optimum sizes for text type are between 8-11 points.
Overly long or short lines of type also tire the reader this is why counting or paying attention to the number of characters per line determines the appropriate line length.
Generally agreed that lines type consisting of sixty or seventy characters promote readability.
Line spacing ensures that the reader is not distracted by lines of type that visually run together. where the lines are too widely spaced the reader has trouble locating the next line.
For optimum sizes of type 8-11 points one to four points of line spacing can help the reader easily distinguish each line.
Final Major Project 